When I Look Into Your Eyes
by Bandgeek211
Summary: Tessa Cortez is the new candidate for truck 81 follow her as she goes through the ups and downs of being the only female firefighter in house 51 and then dealing with her feelings for her lieutenant Casey. Does he have the same feelings for her as she does for him? Time will only tell but first he needs to make sure she lives after her first fire accident.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys this is my first time writing a fanfic and I hope you think it's good. Sorry if there is any grammar errors and yea... If all goes well I would like to continue this fic**

 **DISCLAIMERS: I do not own Chicago fire or any characters associated with the show they belong to NBC and Dick Wolf I only own Tessa Cortez**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Today's the day I finally start my dream job as a candidate for firehouse 51. I'm excited yet super nervous at the same time. As I walk through bay doors I see a group of guys sitting at a table. "Hi can i help you?" The man at the head of the table says as he stands up.

"Yes, hi, where can i find chief Boden?" I say with as much as confidence I have.

"I'll show you, follow me."says the tall handsome man. We go down a few hallways and stop at a door that says Battalion Chief on it. Upon entering I see a gorgeous tall blonde haired man sitting down.

"Hi, you must be Tessa." boomed chief Boden.

"Yes thats correct." I say trying not to glance back at the gorgeous blonde haired man.

"Great I'll have Lieutenant Casey show you around the house and introduce you seeing as you be under his command on truck 81." As we leave chief's office him and the other tall handsome man follow us. When we enter at what I assume is the break room all eyes fall upon me and I start to get really nervous again. "Guys, this is Tessa Cortez, the new candidate on truck 81. Please make her stay very welcoming."

"Okay starting with the guys on my truck there is Otis, Cruz, Mouch, Herman, and lastly Mills. Then on Squad 3 we got Lieutenant Severide, Clarke, Capp, Tony, Newhouse, and Vargas. On Ambulance 61 we got Dawson and Shay." Everybody gave a course of 'hello's' and 'hi's'.

"So why don't you tell us a little about yourself." Says Severide as he gives me a big smile.

"Okay um, like you heard, my name is Tessa Cortez. I grew up here in Chicago and I come from a family of firefighters. It's always been my dream since I was little to become a firefighter."

"Wait is your brother Connor in AI and is your dad Chief Patrick over at house 92?" Asked Cruz suddenly interested again.

"Yep that's them." I say with great enthusiasm. All of a sudden the overhead alarm sounded _Truck 81, Ambulance 61, Squad 3. Apartment fire. 2670 Main._ Ok this is my first fire keep calm and do what your told, I thought to myself as we rushed to the fire.

We arrived on scene where Lieutenant Casey immediately started yelling out orders. "Herman and Mills start in the basement and work your way up, Cortez and I will start on 6 and work our way down. The smoke is rolling we have maybe 7 minutes tops. We don't have any time to lose." Casey stressed. We got to the top floor and started searching each apartment yelling "fire department call out!" We were searching the last apartment on 6 when I hear the floor start to creak. "Lieutenant watch out!." I yelled as I pushed him out of the way and I went down as the floor broke. The last thing I remember was falling then everything went black.

 **Yea so I hope you like it and please favorite/follow my story and leave some reviews with some suggestions and questions and I'll try to answer them the best I can. So till next time Bandgeek211**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So here it is the second chapter thanks to those who reviewed and favorite/followed the story I really appreciate it!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Fire or any of the characters associated with the show they belong to NBC and Dick Wolf I only own Tessa Cortez .**

* * *

 **Chapter Two:**

 **Casey POV:**

Today was the day house 51 was getting a new candidate since Darden died. As Chief and I were waiting in his office we got to talking about the anniversary of Andy's death coming up but we were interrupted by Severide coming in with a beautiful woman. I tried not to stare at her as she introduced herself to Boden. As soon as Boden said I would be giving her the tour and introducing her to all the guys my stomach twisted into knots. Our last stop on the tour ended up being the break room where everybody was, as I was introducing her to the gang, Cruz's head shot up and he asked her if that was her brother that worked up in AI and also if that was her dad who is chief of House 92. When she confirmed that was them and was about to say something else when the tones dropped signalling we had a call. We all hurried to the trucks and loaded up. I could see the fire already rolling, stressing to my men I said, "Herman and Mills start in the basement and work your way up. Cortez and I will start on 6 and work our way down. The smoke is already rolling we have maybe 7 minutes tops. We don't have any time to lose."

"10-4 Lieutenant!" yelled Mills and Herman.

We made it up to the sixth floor where the fire was on. We busted open doors yelling "fire department call out!" and sending anybody that could walk out down the stairs to be treated by Dawson and Shay. We were in the middle of searching the last apartment when we both heard the floor start to creek. I just knew the floor was about to give out but didn't have enough time to react when I was shoved out of the way. I watch in horror as Tessa fell down to the next floor.

"Mayday, Mayday Chief we are up on 6. The floor broke and Tessa fell through!" I yelled frantically.

"Severide, Clarke go to the fifth floor and hurry the building is gonna flash." I heard Chief say through the radio.

Looking down I see Cortez laying there unconscious and I start to yell for her hoping that would wake her up. With her PASS alarm going off it's hard to hear anything, the next moment I see her roll over and look around then slip back into the land of unconsciousness. I radioed down to Dawson and Shay "Dawson, Shay she keeps slipping from conscious to unconsciousness."

"Got it Casey." Dawson says reassuring me.

As soon as I saw Severide and Clarke carrying her out I rushed down the stairs because I could feel it getting hotter in here and Chief said to bail out immediately which I did wasting no time at all.

Upon coming out of the building I saw the ambulance race off lights and sirens heading to the best trauma hospital in Chicago which was called Lakeshore Hospital. We all battled to put the inferno out as quickly and efficiently as we could so we could get to Lakeshore and see how Cortez was doing. With the fire out and all our calls rerouted we all piled into Lakeshore still in our turnout gear and smelling like smoke, where we were met with the grim faces of Dawson and Shay. "How bad is it?" I asked having hope that she was going to be ok with just a few burns and bruises, but quickly realized that was not the case this time.

"All we know is that she is in emergency surgery trying to stop the internal bleeding and to fix her broken leg. The doctor says it's not looking too good." Said Dawson looking upset.

It's all my fault I kept thinking to myself. I dropped down into the chair and silently prayed she would make it off of the table.

"Hey don't worry Casey, she's a fighter she'll make it through this." Dawson said trying to make me feel better.

"Yeah I hope she does I can't handle losing another member after Darden's death. I just can't, Dawson."

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Write me some reviews and any suggestions/questions you have and I'll try to answer them to the best of my abilities. So till next time Bandgeek211**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey guys sorry for not updating I've had a very busy past couple weeks between a funeral and varsity volleyball starting and work I just haven't had time but no excuses huh well here is my next chapter I hope you enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do no own Chicago Fire or any of the characters associated with the show Dick Wolf and NBC does.

I only own Tessa Cortez and Dr. Brookes

The words that are in Italic are Tessa's thoughts in her head

* * *

 **Chapter Three:**

 **Tessa POV**

* * *

 _*Beep... Beep... Beep...*_

" _Ugh! What is that beeping noise and where is it coming from?"_ I thought to myself. " _What is that smell?"_ I wondered. The last thing I remember was pushing Casey out of the way just before the floor broke but the rest just draws a blank in my mind. I opened up my eyes but quickly shut them again because of the blinding light that glared in them. Trying again, I slowly opened them and blinked many times to adjust to the light. Looking to the left, then right of me I saw nothing but white walls and floors. " _Hmm I must be in the hospital..."_ I thought to myself. I noticed that Casey was sitting in a chair asleep next to me, I wondered how long he had been there and how long I had been in the hospital already. He must of felt me looking at him because the next minute or so he woke up with a startle.

"Hey, you're finally awake." Said Casey, his face flooding with relief.

"Finally awake? How long was I out?" I ask, confusion flooding my voice.

"Yeah, you were out for about 7 days straight." Confirmed Casey.

"What happened after I pushed you out of the way? All I remember was falling then everything else is a blank." I said.

"Well you fell about 2 floors down and your mask cracked when you hit the floor. You were unconscious when Severide and Clarke pulled you out. The doc says you were lucky you made it through surgery, you had internal bleeding, cracked ribs, a broken leg and a concussion. I never gave up hope and neither did the rest of the gang from the house they have all been here at some point staying with you, praying, and just talking to you hoping it would help wake you up." Casey said with worry then relief lacing his voice.

"Wow I guess I'll be out of work for a while then." I said with great disappointment.

"Hey, look at me when I say this," He said grabbing my chin gently and turning my head to face him. "I owe my life to you. You risked your life saving mine and I will be forever grateful for that. You single handedly pushed me out of the way when you barely even knew me." Exclaimed Casey adoration lacing his voice.

"We are a family at house 51. It's what you said to me. I was just saving one of my fellow brothers. Isn't that what we do? We save people but we also all look out for each other. Am I right? Would you do the same thing for me if the situation was reversed? Because I would in a heartbeat without having to think about it ever." She said with a gentle tone.

"You are damn right I would do the same thing if the tables were switched! Hell I would do it for anybody in that house. You are right, we are a family and we always have each others backs even if it means risking your life for the ones you care about." Casey Exclaimed. Just then the doctor walked into the room gladly seeing that I was awake.

"Ah, Ms. Cortez welcome back to the land of consciousness. I'm doctor Brookes." said the man. "The injuries you sustained from the fall were pretty serious, you're lucky to have made it out of surgery alive, for a while there it was touch and go." Explained Dr. Brookes.

"Wow, that bad huh? How long will I be off of work?" I asked with a tiny amount of hope in my voice.

"Well it depends on how your physical training goes but right now your looking at about at least one month maybe two." Explained Dr. Brookes.

"Two months! I-I-I that's two months I can't be off that long there has to be another way." I stated, raising my voice.

"Tessa, Tessa calm down. Just remember you're lucky you made it out alive. These couple of months will go by fast with the help of us guys from the house." Explained Casey.

"Well with the injuries you sustained from the fall your leg will have to be casted for at least a month to let the bone properly though you will meet with the physical therapist to go over some exercises to get the muscle you lost from being in the coma back and to give strength back to the ones you didn't use for over a week." Said Dr. Brookes. "You should get some rest and I'll be back later to get an MRI on your head to make sure there is no permanent damage to your brain." Stated Dr. Brookes. And with that he left leaving Casey and I alone in my hospital room.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading the story I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave questions, comments, or just general views and I will answer them to the best of my ability. Thanks again and Follow/Favorite the story PLZ!


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys I know it's been a while since I've updated but I've been extremely busy lately and I try to do my best to write whenever I can but between work, sports, and school/ practices I've been so tired and just forget so here it is FINALLY!**

 **DISCLAIMERS: I do not own Chicago Fire or any of the cast members associated with the show they belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I only own Tessa Cortez and the story plot line.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4:**

After Doctor Brookes left, Casey and I sat in uncomfortable silence. I couldn't handle the silence anymore so I decided to ask him about his personal life to get to know him better. "So when did you know you wanted to become a firefighter?" I asked.

"Well it's actually kind of a funny story. When my sister and I were younger she tried baking a cake for our mom's birthday while I was wrapping the present and the oven caught fire, so when the fire department showed up to put the fire out that's when I knew that was what I wanted to be when I grew up. You know, save people and help out the best way I knew I could." Said Casey with a gleam in his eyes. "So what made you wanna become a firefighter?" asked Casey.

"Well when I was younger my dad would bring me to his firehouse and the guys over there at 92 were basically my other family, they all treated me like I was their own daughter and sometimes my dad would give me rides around town in the truck and one time they had this big warehouse fire and he had no choice but to bring me along with him and as I sat in the truck watching everybody hustling around getting the workers out. I guess something just clicked and that was when I knew I wanted to be like my dad someday." I said explaining my back story. "So any kids or wife of your own?" I asked hopefully not sounding desperate.

"No kids and I used to be engaged but it didn't work out because she didn't want kids, so you can see how that was a problem." said Casey with sadness and disappointment in his voice. "So what about you?" said Casey.

"No kids but I thought the guy I was dating for a few years was gonna be the one but I caught him cheating one night and that was the end of that story." I said sadly.

"That idiot." Mumbled Casey.

"What?" I asked having not been sure what he said.

"Oh uh nothing." Said Casey quickly.

"Ugh! I can't wait til I get out of this hospital."

A few days had passed since waking up and I was finally able to go home, but I was told I had to have somebody there to help me up and down the stairs because of my broken leg. I told Dr. Brooks that I had nobody to help me since I lived alone and my brother and father were really busy, well Dr. Brooks said that I couldn't go home until I found somebody to stay with me for a few weeks when Casey interrupted us saying " I can stay with her for a while till she gets back on her feet." I was completely at a loss for words after that but happy to finally be able to leave.

 **Casey's POV**

"I can stay with her for a while till she gets back on her feet." " _What the hell did I just do? I can't believe I just did that!"_ I looked over at Tessa and she looked like she was gonna pass out from what I just said. "I-I mean only if its ok with Tessa." I said stuttering a little.

"Huh? O-o-oh yeah that would be nice." Said Tessa nervously.

" _Whew! I thought she was gonna flat out deny my offer, and I'm really glad she didn't."_ Internally I was jumping with joy on the outside I was as cool as a cucumber could be.

* * *

 **I'm sorry the chapter is shorter than normal and I'm currently working on the next chapter. I hoped you enjoyed it plz follow/favorite my story and leave suggestions and questions and I'll put great consideration into answering them.**

 **Thanks! Bandgeek211**


	5. Authors Note

**Hey guys this isn't another chapter sorry about that! I promise I'm working on the next chapter but I have been so busy and I'm struggling with a little of writers block so it may take some more time to get it out. Please bare with me and I'll deliver it soon.**

 **-Bandgeek211**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey guys here's another chapter an again sooooo sorry for the long wait I'm still struggling with the major writers block so if anybody wants to collaborate with me on this story it would be greatly appreciated.**

 **Again I don't own anything but Tessa everything else belongs to Dick Wolf and the people at NBC**

* * *

 **Chapter 5:**

"Well then I guess it's settled, I'll go get your instructions on what needs to happen for the next couple of weeks and also your discharge papers, I'll be back within the next hour." Explained Dr. Brookes. With that he was off.

It was an awkward few minutes of silence when Casey suddenly started rambling on, "I am so sorry I did that I don't know what I was thinking! You probably had someone else in mind I-I me.."

"Lieutenant!" Tessa exclaimed cutting Casey off. "It's fine I honestly didn't have anybody else and there was no way I was going to spend another day stuck in here. I mean I can't believe you did that for me when you even barely know me." She said astonished.

"Well first off we are not at work and I also consider you my friend so call me Matt or Casey the rest of the guys do and secondly I watch out for my team and my friends so yeah I'm happy to be of service to you." "There's also another reason I'm doing it but you can't know I like you because you work for me." Thought Casey. "So here comes the next question do you want to stay at your house or mine? I have a guest bedroom that you could stay in and it has it's own bathroom attached to it."

"Well um... I live in a tiny little apartment and there isn't much room there as it is." Tessa said quietly while looking down.

"Hey that's completely ok, I'm fine with you staying with me as long as you're comfortable with it." Matt said soothingly.

"Thanks it means a lot that you're doing this for me lieu I-I mean Matt." Tessa said stuttering a little."

"Ok well I should get going so you can get some rest because you look like you really need it after the stress your body went through."

* * *

 **I'm sorry the chapter is shorter than normal and I'm currently working on the next chapter. I hoped you enjoyed it plz follow/favorite my story and leave suggestions and questions and I'll put great consideration into answering them.**

 **Thanks! Bandgeek211**


End file.
